Shadows
by ElvenPrincessOfNarnia- Kate
Summary: *"You are not Thranduilion. You are Glorfindelion."* Thranduil reveals that Legolas is not his son, but is actually Glorfindel's. Rated T for angst and violence. (I do not own the cover image.)
1. Secrets

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. All Elvish translations are approximate. If I have made any mistakes in translating, please, please correct me!**

**Note: May contain spoilers for "The Terrible Tricksters" and future stories. Sorry!**

**Warning: This is the most depressing fic I have written so far (and probably will ever write). Just felt like writing something... ****angst-y. **

_**No slash. Never, ever, ever slash!**_

**Takes place approximately ten years before the War of the Ring began.**

* * *

Legolas snatched his bow and two arrows out of his quiver and shot them straight into the charging spider's head. Just before the creature reached him, Legolas nimbly jumped away and shot another arrow into its writhing body. The creature crashed into a tree and fell down dead.

Elladan gritted his teeth as he battled another spider on a nearby tree branch several yards off the ground. Looking below, he could see his twin brother, Elrohir, running madly along the forest floor to escape yet another enraged spider that was chasing him.

Looking up, Elladan saw Glorfindel fending off a horde of spiders scurrying down the tree.

"Uh, Legolas." Elladan called, his voice shaking slightly. "There's more coming!"

"Don't worry!" Glorfindel chirped happily, ducking a spider leg. "I've got it covered."

Down on the forest floor, Elrohir groaned. This was all _Glorfindel's_ fault. If he hadn't _insisted_ on seeing Legolas' spider-killing skills, they wouldn't be in this predicament.

"Glorfindel, you're several _hundred_ years older than me. Can't you see that we're outnumbered?" Elrohir screamed, dismembering a charging arachnid.

Glorfindel sent him a dazzling white, slightly crazed smile. "Well, yes, but we've got Legolas, Prince of Mirkwood, the most skillful spider-slayer in all of _Arda_. And we also have the mighty Balrog slayer. That's me."

Legolas stared at the crazed warrior. He jumped down to Elrohir, who was, at the moment, free of attackers.

"Is he always like this in battle?" he whispered to his friend.

"No." Elrohir replied, then grimaced. "He's _much_ worse."

Legolas sighed. This was going to be a _long_ day...

Three hours later, the four spider-fighters trudged into King Thranduil's palace. They were met by a furious Elrond, a raging Thranduil, and an indignant Erestor who was seething about not being invited on the spider-hunting excursion.

"Where were you and what were you doing?" Thranduil growled. An awkward silence fell over the group.

"Hunting spiders." Glorfindel finally piped up. The twins and Legolas sent death-glares at him. Glorfindel glared back at them, not penitent in the least.

"_Where_ were you hunting spiders?" Thranduil spat, his patience wearing thin. "The place where I explicitly forbade you to go?"

"Maybe?" Elrohir squeaked.

Thranduil sighed.

"Go ahead." he went on, waving a hand at Elrond. "You lecture them."

This time, Elrond sent Thranduil a death glare. Thranduil stared innocently back.

"Fine then. I will lecture my own sons." Elrond conceded. He turned and looked Erestor straight in the eye. "You, on the other hand, will lecture this, this, _elfling_ about the dangers of rashness and spiders." Elrond glanced quickly at Glorfindel.

Erestor crossed his arms and pouted. "_Hir-nin_, that's not fair."

"That's not fair!" Glorfindel shouted, who finally understood Elrond's reference.

Elrond cleared his throat. "Legolas."

Legolas looked up at Elrond.

"King Thranduil will speak to you about your behavior today. Your _ada_ will decide your punishment." Elrond continued. He waved a hand, dismissing them.

The elves dispersed, grumbling to themselves.

Luckily, Thranduil and Elrond were soon absorbed in dissecting a recently obtained treaty from Dain, the King Under the Mountain, Ruler of Erebor, etc. This allowed the twins, Legolas, Glorfindel, and, surprisingly, Erestor to sneak away and hide.

"That was close." Elrohir smirked as soon as they were out of the rulers' earshot.

"You can say that again." Elladan breathed out a sigh of relief.

"That was close." Elrohir repeated.

Legolas smacked Elrohir on the back. "I do not think he meant that literally, _mellon-nin_."

Elrohir simply grinned.

Glorfindel and Erestor sighed.

After an awkward silence, Erestor tried to restart the conversation.

"So..." he began uneasily, "How was spider hunting? WITHOUT me, I must add?"

"Fun." Glorfindel replied.

"Dangerous." Elrohir shuddered.

"Normal." Legolas shrugged.

"Foolish." Elladan admitted.

Erestor threw his hands up in frustration. "Why did you go without ME?" he pouted. "Seriously, how might this incident have turned out differently?"

"It would have been more boring." Glorfindel retorted.

"I'm with him." Elrohir added, putting a hand on the warrior's shoulder.

Erestor glared. Then, his mouth twisted into an evil grin.

"Time to take my revenge." he grinned, taking Glorfindel by the ear and dragging him out the room. Glorfindel's face paled and his eyes widened as he realized what Erestor was inferring.

The other elves winced when they heard the door slam after Erestor. Snippets of Erestor's lecture floated into the room.

"I would NOT enjoy being Glorfindel right now." Legolas remarked.

Suddenly, the door reopened, revealing Thranduil in the doorway.

"I would not enjoy being YOU right now, _mellon_." Elladan whispered, patting Legolas on the back. "Good luck."

Legolas grimaced as Thranduil grasped his ear with an iron grip. His eyes pleaded with the twins to help him as he was dragged out the door.

"I'm starting to feel like this is deja vu." Elrohir reflected as Elrond burst into the room.

"No kidding." Elladan replied. Elrond silenced the twins with a glare and continued dragging them out the door by their ears.

"_Ada,_ please, I can explain." Legolas begged.

"Silence." Thranduil commanded, and shoved Legolas into the king's chambers.

Legolas winced. He hadn't visited these rooms in years, not since... his _naneth_ had died.

Thranduil saw Legolas' pained face. His voice softened.

"Sit down, Legolas." Thranduil gestured to a nearby chair.

Legolas sat down obediently, not wanting to anger Thranduil further.

"Why?" Thranduil asked again, though softer this time. "Why? You could have been killed!"

"I'm sorry, _ada_." Legolas whispered.

"Legolas."

Legolas looked up at his _ada_. He wondered what was troubling him so much. Usually, Thranduil worried whenever he went out on scouting patrols with the other Mirkwood elves, but this was different. He had never seen him so agitated over a simple spider hunt.

Thranduil breathed hard, his chest tightening. "Legolas, I have to tell you something."

"What is it, _ada_?" Legolas asked, his eyes filled with worry.

"I don't know how to say this to you, but-"

"_Ada_-"

"I am not your _ada_." There, it was out.

Legolas's eyes widened in fear.

Thranduil sighed and sank into another chair, facing Legolas. He took Legolas' hands in his.

"Yes, you are!" Legolas almost screamed, jumping to his feet. "Yes, you ARE my _ada_."

"No, Legolas." Thranduil shook his head sadly. "You are not Thranduilion. You are Glorfindelion."

* * *

Translation of Elvish Words:

_Arda:_ Middle-Earth

_Hir-nin_: My lord

_Ada_: Father

_Mellon-nin_: My friend

_Mellon:_ Friend

_Naneth_: Mother

_Thranduilion:_ Son of Thranduil

_Glorfindelion_: Son of Glorfindel

* * *

**Author's Note: Just my two-bits on the "Legolas is not Thranduil's son" theory. **

**Confession: I was crying a little while writing this. It all goes down from here... Lots of angst. **

**But... don't worry! Happy-ish (not really) ending on the way!**

**Note: To all those who are reading my stories faithfully, I will try to update, add, and revise as many stories as possible before going on hiatus. Thank you all for reading!**

**~Kate**


	2. Revealing

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing. All Elvish translations (and spellings) are approximate. Please correct me if there are any errors. **

**Sorry it took so long for this chapter. **

**Note: Laurelae is Legolas' mother. For the readers who have not read "The Terrible Tricksters," Laurelian is Legolas' sister.**

**No slash! Never, ever, ever slash.**

* * *

Legolas stared at the elf who had acted as his _ada_ for as long as he could remember.

"But, how?" he barely choked out the words, turning tear-filled, pleading eyes to Thranduil.

Thranduil sighed deeply, throwing his circlet on the floor and running his hands through his hair. "I meant to tell you when you were younger. I really did."

"Then why didn't you?" Legolas cried.

"Hush." Thranduil held up his hand. "I did not want you to feel ashamed."

"Ashamed of what?"

"Of not being my _ion_. Of not being a prince. Of not being-" Thranduil stopped and bit his tongue. Legolas waited expectantly.

Thranduil took a deep breath and slowly blew the air back out. "Legolas, you were not conceived legitimately."

Legolas' eyes widened in horror, but stayed silent.

"Your _naneth_, my _meleth_, loved Glorfindel before me." Thranduil began, tears beginning to form in his eyes at the memory. "When her _ada_ informed her of our arranged betrothal, she refused to marry me, claiming she already had a lover. However, her _ada_ forced her into the marriage, as it profited him to be allied with the Greenwood. The day after our marriage, I discovered she was with child."

Legolas turned pale and began shaking his head. "No. This can't be true."

His eyes brightened slightly with hopeful mirth. "Surely the twins, or Lord Elrond, or even Lord Erestor put you up to this." He frowned at Thranduil. "You almost had me there, but it is not funny, _ada_."

The King's eyes dripped with tears. "It is true. After I found out, she begged me not to tell anyone. Naturally, I was furious and wanted to expose her while also getting revenge on her unknown lover."

"Did you?"

"No." Thranduil shook his head. "I decided to keep the matter secret, for the time being. When you were born, however, my anger returned as I recognized Glorfindel in your face. I confronted Glorfindel, and he confessed immediately. He pleaded with me to raise you as my own, to spare you from shame and give you the security of a family. We were once friends, you know, and he saved my life on several occasions. I agreed to keep you as my own, as a reward for his previous friendship and loyalty."

He looked over at Legolas, and saw his body shaking with sobs.

"What of Laurelian?" Legolas mumbled without raising his head. "I would not wish my fate on her as well."

"Laurelian is mine. I made sure of that." Thranduil said gently. He fell silent. Soon, only the sound of Legolas' soft sobbing could be heard in the room.

Thranduil's heart ached for the young elf. He felt a small stab of remorse about telling him. In his heart, Thranduil still considered Legolas to be a carefree elfling, unburdened by the cares of the outside world. The blow had been harder on Legolas than he had thought it would be. Perhaps he should have waited another few centuries before telling him.

"May I go now?" Legolas whispered, his throat constricted with tears.

At Thranduil's nod, Legolas walked unsteadily to the door and let himself out. In the hall, he ran straight into the twins. They took one look at his pale, tearstained face and immediately knew something had happened.

"Are you alright, _mellon-nin?_" Elladan asked, his forehead furrowed in concern. Elrohir had trouble stifling a giggle, as his twin looked exactly like their father.

"Did your _ada_ give you a really harsh lecture today?" Elrohir questioned.

At the word "_ada,_" Legolas whitened even further.

"It is nothing." he snapped, startling the twins. "I am merely tired after spider hunting." After that, Legolas turned and walked down the hall.

"What was that all about?" Elrohir wondered aloud after Legolas had passed out of earshot.

"No idea." Elladan mused. The twins wisely let the matter drop, as they could see that something was bothering their friend that couldn't be discussed with them.

When he reached his room, Legolas threw himself onto his bed and sobbed again. His head spun.

"I am not Thranduilion. I am not Thranduilion." he mumbled over and over through his sobs. His heart ached with pain. How could his _naneth_ do such a thing? Why had they kept it hidden for so long?

Legolas' mind wandered back to his childhood. He remembered how Glorfindel had acted almost fatherly to him whenever he visited Imladris. At the time, he had assumed that Glorfindel merely treated him like any other elfling, as the warrior had also been like a second father to the twins as well. Looking even further into his memory, however, Legolas recalled the special privileges and favors Glorfindel had given him. Now he knew why.

Suddenly, fear shot through Legolas' pain.

"I am an outcast." he realized. Elves believed in forever love. Often, if one elf died, the lover soon traveled to the Halls of Mandos out of grief as well. The idea of an elf having an affair _and_ a child out of that affair was unthinkable. It was also unforgivable.

Now Legolas began to realize why Thranduil had kept the secret for so long. As a child, Legolas had often been teased by the other elflings for being different. Thranduil had always been there to comfort him, to make him feel safe and loved. By the time he grew older, however, Legolas had befriended many of the elflings. His friends confessed that they had been jealous of his yellow hair and that he was royalty when they had teased him. Legolas wondered how much worse the mocking might have been if they had known his secret.

After Legolas cried his eyes and heart out, he began to ponder his future. Since he was no longer the rightful heir to the throne of Greenwood, what would he do now? Before he could answer the question, Legolas fell asleep.

The next day, Legolas entered the throne room. When Thranduil saw him, he immediately dismissed Elrond, Erestor, and Glorfindel from the room. Even though two of the three Elven lords were completely confused about the abrupt dismissal, one of them silently resigned himself to his fate.

"_Hir-nin."_ Legolas began, his voice trembling slightly. "After our conversation yesterday, I have come to ask if I may stay in Greenwood as one of your soldiers."

The king inclined his head slightly. "Legolas, you are always welcome here. If you wish, you may even remain as Crown Prince."

Legolas shook his head. "With all due respect, I do not feel it is right for me to be Crown Prince. Thank you for your offer, _hir-nin._"

The two elves fell silent. Thranduil cleared his throat to break the silence.

"You may remain here as one of my ambassadors."

"Thank you, _hir-nin._"

Thranduil's throat constricted as he saw Legolas' painful shyness and attempt to be formal while facing a broken heart.

"No matter what happens or what I said yesterday," Thranduil said gently, "You will always be my _ion_. And I will always be your _ada_."

Legolas bowed and ran quickly out of the throne room before Thranduil could see his tears.

* * *

Translation of Elvish words:

_Ada: _Father

_Ion:_ Son

_Naneth: _Mother

_Meleth: _Love

_Mellon-nin:_ My friend

_Hir-nin:_ My lord

* * *

**Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed this story! I am now back from hiatus and hope to update some more of my stories. However, I will only be on this website every once in a while, as my schedule is hectic and I'm still trying to get a handle on limiting the amount of time I spend on fanfiction. Thanks so much for reading! **

**~Kate**


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